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Delaware Tribe Seeks Offers for Casino Plan

"…The Delaware Tribe is looking for other options after opposition in Douglas County prompted the tribe to back away from a proposal there. Four American Indian tribes already sponsor casinos in northeastern Kansas, but none is in Leavenworth, Wyandotte or Johnson counties.

"…The tribe has promised to share casino earnings -- projected to be about $25 million a year -- with local government. Federal regulations exempt the tribe from property taxes and, for the most part, the project also would be exempt from sales taxes. However, officials told civic leaders that they would contribute to the city and area schools.

"The tribe has not committed to a specific location but has expressed an interest in southern Leavenworth County, which has good highway access. Tonganoxie and Basehor are located near Kansas 7 and U.S. 24/40, which is about a mile from the Kansas Speedway in western Kansas City, Kan.

"…Several obstacles must be overcome before the tribe could win approval for the casino. The group is not one of the four tribes recognized by the federal government as native Kansas tribes. The state has signed compacts with those four tribes and is fighting gambling proposals by two other nonindigenous Oklahoma tribes. Also, the tribe has pledged not to buy land in the county without the County Commission's blessing."

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